Upcoming grow

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by johnnydoes, Dec 31, 2009.

  1. Hi all! I am new here, but hope to become a regular over the next few months :)

    I am planning my first serious grow operation and will be having a total of 12 plants, one of which will probably be kept as a mother. I am living in Michigan and just got my medical card (the limit is 12 plants). I am aiming to become a caregiver once I have product to show it will be easy to achieve.

    My goal is maximum yield per plant since I am only allowed a total of 12. I will eventually stagger to harvest a plant ever week or so. I am aiming for close to a pound per plant and will leave the plant hanging and only harvest 2.5 oz from it at a time to stay within the law.

    Anyways, I am going to post the supplies I have come up with so far and hopefully you advanced folks out there can comment and help me out. I understand some things I will need are left out and would appreciate feedback on what I have selected so far.

    Once I get everything together over the next few months (only have $2,000 to play with until I save up a little more for things such as electric, rent, etc.), I will be posting many pictures on an ongoing basis :)

    For my strain I am going to start with just one until I am able to fine tune my setup and since I am going for maximum yield AND high quality, I am pretty set on "The Ultimate" from Dutch Passion Seeds.
    Dutch-Passion - The Ultimate, Through careful breeding we have created one of our most important strains, we call it â€Å“The ...

    Lights: 1. GrowBright Premium 1,000 watt High Pressure Sodium Grow Light
    CoolTube 8" Reflector
    GrowBright 1,000 watt HPS Bulb
    GrowBright 1,000 watt MH Conversion Bulb
    Sunrise Hi-Low reflector Hangers
    Dual Outlet 120 Volt Digital Timer w/ Battery BackUp
    8" Inline Duct Fan
    High Tech Garden Supply
    High Tech Garden Supply

    2. GrowBright 4 Foot 8 Lamp High Output T5
    8 Grow (6,400K) Spectrum Bulbs
    8 Bloom (3,000K) Spectrum Bulbs
    High Tech Garden Supply

    3. Same as #2 above.

    Air Filter: 1. GrowBright 6" Tall Boy Inline Fan & Charcoal Filter Combo
    Blower / Fan Speed Control
    High Tech Garden Supply

    Co2: 1: Co2 Regulator And Tank Combo
    High Tech Garden Supply

    Nutrients: 1: Advanced Nutrients 2 Part Soail & Hydro Intermediate Package.
    High Tech Garden Supply

    Reflective: 100 feet by 50 inch roll of MYLAR - 2 mil.
    High Tech Garden Supply

    Bubblebuckets: I am going to make 12 of the buckets following rumpleforeskin's thread and follow his instructions for res.
    http://forum.grasscity.com/general-indoor-growing/121335-lets-build-bubble-bucket-step-step.html

    My box is basically going to be a bigger version of rumple's and my veg/flower cycle will be similar to his, he has inspired me :)

    Ultimate goal is at least 16 oz cured buds per plant, I understand it will take a lot of effort to get this, but it is my goal :)
     
  2. Your gonna need a lot more light or a very advanced technique to yield any where near that per plant, the general rule of thumb is one gram per watt for an advanced grower. So regardless of how many plants you grow with 1000 watts you will get around the same yield .5-1.0 grams per watt of power you use.

    Also you should check out dchydro.com there prices are cheaper than htg in most cases and they are a reputable company.
     
  3. ^True dat. For a first grow, you'd be doing well to get a pound for your total harvest with 1000 watts.
     
  4. #4 johnnydoes, Jan 1, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2010
    Thanks for the feedback guys. Did you both see the 2x T5 lights I also have in that list?

    Edit: I will plan on adding another 1,000w setup, but feedback on the T5s would be much appreciated :)
     
  5. T5's are nice. I guess you'll be using them for seedlings and supplemental light during veg and flowering? How big is your grow space?
     
  6. #6 johnnydoes, Jan 1, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2010
    Grow space will be as big as I need it to be. It will be sealed with the exeption of the carbon filter running in timed intervals. This is a medical grow, so I will be using an entire basement for it if needed. I will be renting a house just for this, so space is not a problem. As you can see from above, the T5s are being ordered with both grow and bloom bulbs. They will be used alongside the MH grow and HPS bulbs. So basically, one T5 and one 1,000w per each 6 plants so far.

    Edit: I am considering adding two 250w hps bulbs and letting them hang vertically in addition to the two 1,000w and two t5s.

    Anyone have feedback on the 5 gallon buckets? Should I use bigger buckets?
     
  7. #7 housefullOweed, Jan 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 2, 2010
    Okay to start off i would not bother using those t5s as supplemental lighting for flowering or for veg i would use 1 bank of them for veg with no additional lighting. I am not sure how many of these lights you were planning on picking up 2-4, but considering the yield you are looking to achieve it would be much more effective to spend your money on HID lights that can get the job done.

    Second that 8 inch inline duct fan is a piece of crap and will not be capable of cooling your lights you need a centrifugal exhaust fan like one of these www.dchydro.com or the fan you have for your filter. I would say 6 inch would be fine for 2k watts and under depending on how much ducting you will be running.

    As far as your 1k watt lights go i would recommend picking up a quality air cooled reflector with a good sized surface area to maximize light coverage, these are not wimpy little 400 watters so i would get quality reflectors to milk every drop of energy you can from them.

    Last but not least i must suggest shopping with dchydro again, with the money you are looking to spend you would prolly save enough to get 1 or 2 extra 1k watt lights.

    1000 watt hps with quality air cooled hood for $226 crazy cheap imo

    1000 watt switchable ballast no need for a conversion bulb
    www.dchydro.com $87

    quality air cooled reflector
    www.dchydro.com $111

    bulb
    www.dchydro.com $24

    ballast to hood adapter
    www.dchydro.com $4

    Anyways man good luck with your grow.

    [edit] almost forgot

    Your co2 system is a little over priced.
    http://desc.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_n...3&_odkw=Co2+Regulator+And+Tank&_osacat=159912

    http://www.google.com/products?q=20...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB4QrQQwAA

    And considering your yield expectations i would suggest scrogging like this to maximize your yield. http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/499082-doobydoos-1000-watt-blue-cheese-scrog.html
     
  8. #8 johnnydoes, Jan 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 2, 2010
    Thanks a bunch for the feedback, I will look into all of that. I have about one month before I place my order, so I should have time to work everything out. Thanks again for the helpful feedback!

    Almost forgot, keep in mind i can only have 12 plants total :) I will buy seeds at first until i get income from yield to afford me a mother plant or two that counts towards my 12 :)

    Also, what about getting rid of the T5 all together and getting a third 1,000w. Then using one 1,000w MH to veg the 12 plants?
     
  9. housefull, that HPS setup is outstanding deal, what do you think about 3 of them and two 6" fans? Do you think you could help me pickout co2 and carbon filter from dchydro? They have a lot of products and you seem to know your way around :)
     
  10. #10 housefullOweed, Jan 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 2, 2010
    Well for my carbon filter and fan i actually went with the HTG fan and filter you linked in an earlier post, it was the best deal i coud find. A 1000 watt light has a footprint of about 4.5x4.5 feet, how big do you intend on your flowering space being? If its not gonna be to big i would go with that fan and filter combo, a 6 inch vortex blower for your lights and a high temp tolerant inline booster. But if your grow room is going to be huge with lots of ducting i would go with the 8 inch vortex blower and the radiant 8 reflectors.

    Ditching the t5s and just picking up a 1000 watt mh bulb would be a lot more cost effective up front but it will cost you a lot in the long run. I personnaly would go with t5s for veg i dont like the idea of a 1000 watt light on a 24/7 light schedule but its your grow if you wanna grow some tree sized weed plants go for it lol.

    Here is a co2 regulator but i don't think dchydro sells tanks you could prolly save some money buying one locally because of shipping.
    www.dchydro.com

    20 lb co2 tank - Google Product Search

    some t5s
    www.dchydro.com

    You should prolly explore all of dchydros site i was able to get pretty much every thing i needed a side from my ventilation, soil and seeds for cheaper than i could have found it any where else.
     
  11. #11 johnnydoes, Jan 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 2, 2010
    I'm ordering a million of these: www.dchydro.com

    I'm considering one T5 for early stages of veg, then right before flowering adding 1,000w MH. Then for flowering having the T5 along with 2,000w HPS.

    What I want to add to this mix though, is a vertical hanging light, maybe 400 or 600w, that is in the center of my 12 plants. I'm having a bit of trouble finding a fixture for it that doesn't have a hood, should I just buy the cheapest hood and remove the reflector? I'm thinking 400w ballast http://www.dchydro.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=2844 with cheapo reflector http://www.dchydro.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=2758

    I would like to have the two 1,000w hanging from above, the one t5 on the sides, the 400w in the center, and rotate the 12 plants AND 1/4 spin to make sure the 400w gets all of them ;)
     
  12. [​IMG]
    As you can see from this chart light diminishes very quickly in just a few inch's add to that the lack of power a 400 watt puts out, and I'm not sure that a 400 watt light would be suitable for this application. If you are going to pick up one of those 400 watt lights and hang it vertically i would still recommend a reflector otherwise 50% of your light produced will be wasted on lighting the ceiling. If you don't use a reflector yeah i would just strip that reflector of its socket and use it for what you wish.

    Have you considered a light mover? it would prolly be more suitable for what you want to do and be about the same price. http://www.dchydro.com/product/2127/9-RPM-Light-Rail-Complete-Kit/

    Just making sure you are aware that you would have to hard wire this ballast.
    www.dchydro.com
     
  13. Hmm, I was wanting to hang the light vertical to achieve more developed lower buds on the plants as seen in Urban Grower | Advanced Nutrients Medical | Medicinal Marijuana Cultivation Information (thanks for the link BTW!).

    When you say 50% of the light would be lost, I think you might mis-understand what I mean.

    I want to hang the bulb vertical so all sides of the bulb reach the sides of the plants, instead of 50% of the bulb's light being reflected from the ballast.
     
  14. Ahh yeah i see what you mean, sounds good just make sure your light doesnt burn your plants.

    "thanks for the link BTW!"

    NP man
     
  15. #15 johnnydoes, Jan 2, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 2, 2010
    I'm going to follow something between the scrog link you gave me and rumple's scrog, but aim for taller, bigger plants. I need to get the most out of them that is feasable as room is not an issue and i am limited to 12 plants. I figure my first grow, with the help of others, I will achieve right around 1 gram per watt. Some here say to expect .5 the first grow, but I'm going all out on this and results = money. My ultimate goal is the 2 grams per watt that I KNOW are possible with my resources.

    I really like the idea of attaching the netting to each bucket, this will allow me to rotate my plants so both the T5 and 400w HPS spread their love :)

    I am open to suggestions on room size, I am going to use a master bedroom or a basement (haven't decided on exact location yet, although I have a few places in mind. I was basically going to set my buckets out, set the lights out, and visualize about how much room a 1lb plant needs, then go from there. I will probably build a smaller room (box) just for cloning and early veg, then move them into the main room for late veg/flowering.

    I am open to suggestions!

    Edit: If you think the 2832w I have picked out so far would be better utilized on 6 plants, instead of 12, I could do that also and just try to get more per plant. I figure that many watts would take care of 12 plants pretty well though.
     
  16. #16 housefullOweed, Jan 3, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 3, 2010
    1 lb plants are not very common unless you are growing out doors with the power of the sun, i think rumple usually gets about 6-8 oz off of one plant under optimum conditions. So if you want to visualize how big a 1 lb plant would be just take a look at one of his single plant grows a few days before harvest and imagine it doubled in size. I think you will find that there will be little room for other plants in the foot print of the light, my point here is its really not so much about the number of plants. Whether you go with 1 huge plant or 6 medium sized plants under 1 1k watt lamp your gonna get about the same yield. You of course want to find a happy medium of plants and use any advanced technique you can like topping and scrogging to maximize your yields. I think 4-6 plants under each light is about perfect.

    Heres some more info on scrog
    http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-growing-techniques/48363-scrog-method.html
    http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/47671-scrog-white-widow.html

    As far as location i would go with the bedroom, my reasons... If the house has central air conditioning you can use it to control your grow rooms climate, and you could possibly do away with your flowering room exhaust completely, making it a sealed system perfect for co2. You could use an ozone generator to take care of the odor or since your legal you could just let it stink, shut the door and make sure you cant smell it out side the house. I would go with a spare bed room significantly bigger than you need it to help with temps, and then construct reflective L frames out of wood to enclose the garden when i wasn't working in it. When choosing your grow area keep in mind you are going to have to run ducting for your lighting and exhaust and you may have to cut holes for it, Also you are probably going to need a few different electrical circuits to run your room so you may have to do some wiring.

    You are gonna need a reverse osmosis system as well this hobby gets pretty expensive pretty quick. Im sure with the resources you have available you are gonna pull off a great yield but theres no replacment for hands on experiance, remember planning and preperation are key... fools rush in.

    [edit] You should prolly start reading this now so you can be ready for it later. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=11688
     
  17. Thanks, I will read that for sure. A nice tip I saw on the UrbanGrower site is instead of trying to fix nutrient def. or over def., just flush for a watering or two and start from scratch, this sounded like good advice.
     
  18. Reverse osmosis system to have clean water to start with? I was considering just buying one of those water filters that hook on to the faucet (the ones that dont add minerals or anything). if I have 12 plants with 5 gallon buckets each, thats 60 gallons total, do I want my reservoir to be 60 gallons also?
     
  19. #19 housefullOweed, Jan 4, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 4, 2010
    Reverse osmosis systems don't add anything to the water i believe those are water softeners you are talking about, and if your talking about a Brita faucet filter those are junk. Some people do have success using tap water to grow but when you are using hydro i wouldn't recommend it, get a ph and a ppm meter if you want to test your unfiltered tap water. reverse osmosis, great deals on Home Garden, Pet Supplies on eBay!

    As far as the reservoir goes are you planning on using lucas formula, if so are you planning on using the water top-off method or are you planning to add back?

    Lucas formula
    http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-growing-techniques/211164-lucas-formula.html
     
  20. I was reading a little bit about the lucas formula and it seems to provide good results among different strains and situations pretty consistantly, i think would be a good way of putting it? I am not sure, I was looking at that Advanced Nutrients calculator that allows you to choose your base and select between light, medium and heaving feeding. I was thinking about using that with the medium and order this kit: Discount AN - Your #1 source for Advanced Nutrients - BIG DREAMS shallow pockets

    Any suggestions are appreciated as I still have much reading to do and could use help speeding up the process ;)
     

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